Welcome to episode 38 of The Port Report from THE WEEK, with the latest updates from the maritime world for the week of October 31 to November 6.
We start at Kolkata, where GRSE was one of two shipyards contracted by the Ministry of Defence on November 2 to build five of 8 next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy, in a deal worth about ₹53,866 crore. The Goa Shipyard will build the remaining three warships.
All of the eight corvettes will be equipped with state-of-the-art capabilities, including advanced missiles, weapons and sensor suites.
Also, on November 5, GRSE delivered the Amini, the fifth in a series of 8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft it is building for the Indian Navy.
Designed for operations in coastal waters and with nearly 90 per cent indigenous components, the vessel is equipped for comprehensive sub-surface surveillance, search and attack missions, and coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations alongside aircraft.
Further down on the eastern coast is the Paradip East Quay Coal Terminal Pvt. Ltd, which achieved a record monthly cargo throughput of 2.23 million metric tonnes in October 2026, surpassing its previous record of 2.13 million metric tonnes in March 2026.
This led to overall cargo throughput at the Odisha-based mega port growing by about 8 per cent—from about 12 million metric tonnes in October 2025 to about 13 million metric tonnes in October 2026.
It also notified a number of year-on-year milestones so far in FY 2026-27.
While thermal coal handling grew nearly 17 per cent to cross 31 million metric tonnes, the lime and limestone throughput also rose by about 6 per cent to nearly 2,400 metric tonnes.
Coming to the western coast, the PSA Mumbai terminal of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port achieved its highest-ever monthly cargo throughput of about 3.12 lakh TEUs in October 2026, surpassing its earlier record of 3.03 lakh TEUs in August 2026.
The port also recently became part of a two-port shuttle with the Jeddah Islamic Port after Emirates Shipping Line modified its South Red Sea service. It has also been retained in the North Red Sea rotation of the ESL, as well as the ME1 service of the Gemini Cooperation.
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Further down, the Mormugao Port is all set to get Goa’s first dedicated LPG import and storage terminal worth ₹5,000 crore after Dubai-based Anvi Global on October 30 signed a non-binding MoU for the project.
At full capacity, the terminal is expected to handle around 3 million tonnes per annum of the cooking gas, supplying not just Goa, but also parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Coming to Karnataka, the New Mangalore Port Authority on November 2 announced it is offering a 50 per cent rebate on berth hire, port dues and pilotage charges for mainline container ships. Feeder line container ships will get a 35 per cent rebate.
The new tariffs apply to vessels berthed between November 3, 2026, and March 31, 2027, which the port introduced to boost container traffic.
On the eastern front again, the Chennai Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd. handled a record 93,800 TEUs of cargo across 36 vessels in October 2026, surpassing its previous monthly record just below 90,000 TEUs in September 2026.
The port also called this its highest monthly throughput in the last decade.
Moving on, cement and phosphoric acid cargo handling at the V.O. Chidambaranar Port tripled during April to October this fiscal, as compared to the same period last fiscal.
Windmill cargo handling also grew by more than 70 per cent over the same period.
We finally come to Keralam, where Cochin Shipyard on November 2 signed MoUs with a number of engineering colleges in Keralam under its CSL Academia Collaboration Policy, or 'COLLAB'.
This scheme will provide funding for joint research, student project guidance, faculty training, and more, and is aimed at bridging the gap between academia and the industry.
Moving on, officials at the Kottayam Port have proposed a 180-kilometre-long inland waterway corridor connecting it to the Vizhinjam Port in Thiruvananthapuram, with transits to take 12-14 hours.
Located near National Waterway 9, vessels from the Kottayam Port can connect with National Waterway 3 via Munroe Island and the Ashtamudi Lake. From there, they will navigate the Pampa River before reaching the Kayamkulam Lake. This lake gives them access to the Arabian Sea, from where they will proceed towards Vizhinjam.
The proposal will be discussed with the Vizhinjam Port authorities and Keralam CM V.D. Satheesan in the near future.
Also, the Vizhinjam Port on October 31 received its first import container aboard the MSC Sabrina III, containing engineered building boards sourced from Ningbo in China.
This comes just months after full-fledged export-import operations began at the Vizhinjam Port, which is crucial to the state government's ₹400-crore Mission Samudra plan to develop Keralam into a port state.
That's all from Port Report with THE WEEK, and we'll see you next week. For more updates from the maritime sector, visit the special microsite at theweek.in.
